The present invention relates generally to the field of musical drums, and more particularly, is directed to a quick release drum head restraint which enables the drum head to be quickly replaced without significantly altering the tuning of the drum.
A conventional musical drum comprises a cylindrical body having at least one end covered by a drum head. The drum head includes a rim which holds a drum skin in tension over the drum body. The rim is secured to the drum body by a plurality of tension screws which pass through the rim and are received in brackets mounted around the periphery of the drum body. The drum head is tuned to the desired pitch and tone by adjusting each tension screw in its corresponding bracket. Because the adjustment of each screw affects the adjustment of other screws, tuning of the drum head is a trial and error endeavor requiring a considerable amount of time. Thus, when tuning is finally achieved, users are reluctant to remove the drum head to perform routine maintenance or to install a different sounding drum head. When it becomes necessary to remove the drum head, however, each tension screw must be completely unscrewed from its bracket. This is a time consuming task. More importantly, the prior state of tune is lost and the drum head must be completely retuned when it is replaced on the drum body. The considerable amount of time required to retune the drum after replacement of the drum head is a significant disadvantage, especially on those occasions where replacement must be accomplished during the course of a musical performance.